Super Bowl preview – point #3: No runs, no hits, no errors.

Football is full of myths, unchallenged and passed down from year to year, generation to generation. At this time of the year, we are bombarded with ’defense wins championships” and ‘you need to run the ball in the playoffs.’ Neither is true. What wins championship is BQR – Best Quality Reps. Teams and individual players are built by BQR experienced over a lifetime. BQR result is what matters most – flawless execution. The team that achieves the closest to flawless execution wins. If Seattle’s defense has BQR than Denver’s passing, Seattle wins. And vice-versa. If Seattle’s running game has better BQR than Denver’s defense, Seattle wins. And vice-versa. This applies to all phases of the game – special teams, offense, and defense.

Marshawn Lynch is the X Factor in this Super Bowl. There is no running back who is more valuable to his team. His value is the number of hits it takes to take him down. The most important stats that will determine this Super Bowl is Lynch’s YBIC and YAIC – Yards Before Initial Contact and Yards After Initial Contact. Lynch has been one of the NFL league leaders in yards after initial contact since the Buffalo Bills traded him to Seattle Seahawks but he’s not one of the leaders in YBIC. This means that Lynch’s strength is his strength and may mean his offensive line is not the very best in the NFL.

The number of hits it takes to bring down any ball-carrier – running back or receiver – determines the winner. No extra hits means no runs. The more extra hits it takes to bring down a ball-carrier, the more running yards are earned, which kills more clock, which means the other team’s offense is off the field. No extra hits, no runs. When a ball-carrier is taken down on the first hit, the running game is stopped – no runs.

If extra hits are needed to take down a ball-carrier, tackling error is the reason. Tackling and blocking are two of the basic fundamentals and basic survival needs of winning in football. Neither one is created equal. The team that tackles and blocks the best wins. The best tackling teams commits fewer errors and requires less extra hits to stop runs. The game boils down to no runs, no hits, no errors.

For Denver to win, their defense has to take down Lynch without extra hits. The Denver defense has to allow no runs after initial contact. That forces Seattle to punt and puts Peyton Manning on the field. If the Broncos allow absurd YAIC, Seattle wins because Peyton Manning will be watching most of the game from the sidelines.

On a different note, here’s another back-to-basics Top 100 Classic Rock workout song for the first 100 days of 2014. I’ve returned back to my workout roots including Classic Rock music. It’s been a struggle to convince the X Fitness Women’s Group Lifters to convert to the Top 100 Classic Rock hits but this one is a surefire big hit. To all Women Group Lifters – don’t shut it off during the first song. Play it out. Its 2 songs combined that gives the true effect. The link is after my signature.

Gino Arcaro is a widely published author. His website, blog, Youtube channel, and list of books are at: www.ginoarcaro.com His books include: 4th & hell: seasons 1-5, Soul of a Lifter, SWAT Offense, SWAT Defense, X Fitness Workout System, and a 3 business book series called Soul of an Entrepreneur . He also has written 20 editions of 6 law enforcement academic textbooks. And a new 8-volume interrogation book series, soon to be released.